The Friday Five: Product recalls, the freight recession and new AI survey are the buzz

‍More Than 35 Percent of Organizations Are Using AI, Survey Shows [SupplyChainBrain]

A recent Gartner survey of over 3,000 CIO respondents in 89 countries found the number of companies implementing artificial intelligence (AI) has tripled in the past year. The number of enterprises implementing artificial intelligence (AI) grew 270 percent in the past four years and tripled in the past year, according toesults showed that organizations across all industries use AI in a variety of applications, but struggle with acute talent shortages.
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Automation is Inevitable but will not Displace Driver Jobs: IRU's Global Innovation Head [FreightWaves]

Automation brings many benefits to the trucking industry – but some drivers are nervous it will replace their jobs. In this article, the global innovation lead at World Road Transportation Organization (IRU) suggests that automation won’t replace truck drivers – rather, it will make them more efficient by automating other aspects of freight hauling, such as documentation, terminal operations, refueling and other operational needs. Read how automation will decrease drivers’ workload to allow them to focus on more meaningful work in this article.
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How Product Recalls Spread Through the Supply Chain [Supply Chain Dive]

Recalls are a major concern for supply chain managers and a common issue in today’s world. According to Kiplinger, the top 10 recalls in history are in the automotive, pharmaceutical, food and tech industries – and they have cost companies $73.8 billion since 1982. Supply Chain Dive highlights these major catastrophes and discusses how to prevent them today with tech, traceability features and more to ensure accountability across the very complex supply chain.
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What’s Ahead for Supply Chain Executives In 2019? [Forbes]

Global trade uncertainty is looming with the upcoming Brexit deadline. And with increasing attention to sustainability efforts, the logistics impact of online retailing growth and more, 2019 is shaping up to be a year of transformation for supply chain and logistics. Richard Howells of SAP predicts what trends will emerge in the supply chain this year, especially around Internet of Things (IoT), machine learning, and predictive analytics.
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The Next Freight Recession and What You Can Do About It [FreightWaves]

Last year was one of the strongest years for transportation and logistics companies – but with predictions of an economic slowdown, there are still reasons to be wary about the overall health of the industry. An upcoming sectoral recession could have serious effects on the freight economy, encouraging a renewed focus on technology investment and digitization – and the time to act is now. FreightWaves gets our CEO Chris Kirchner’s take in its latest article.

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Thanks for reading. Catch up on last week’s news here, and stay tuned for next week’s Friday Five!